HurtComfort Promptfics
by LothCat
Summary: On Tumblr I will sometimes request h/c prompts to do ficlets for. These generally range from 500 words to 2k. I don't take comment prompts, only tumblr contacts.
1. Chapter 1

I'm on tumblr as loth-cat, and now and then I will open up prompts and take h/c themed ones to write. They generally end up 500-1k words, and are a little less polished than my fic.

Index -  
Chapter 1 - In Princess of Lothal, Leia gets a little hurt (grazed in a firefight) and when they're back on the Ghost, Sabine applies her Academy-taught medical treatment.  
Chapter 2 - Sabine nursing a sick Hera who's lost her voice.  
Chapter 3 - Ezra with the flu and Zeb taking care of him  
Chapter 4 - Ezra gets hypothermia and Zeb and Kanan rescue him.  
Chapter 5 - Sabine is worried when she can tell Ketsu is hurt and hiding it.

* * *

Prompt by SpaceyQuill  
"Maybe in Princess of Lothal, Leia gets a little hurt (maybe grazed in a firefight) and when they're back on the Ghost, Sabine applies her Academy-taught medical treatment?"

* * *

Leia barely felt the initial hit, and it didn't feel like she'd imagine getting grazed by a blaster bolt would. It was more that it felt like getting struck on the upper arm. Ryder Azadi didn't slow down and neither did she, running up the ramp past the Lasat and the Mandalorian, Zeb and Sabine Wren she remembered distantly. And then the pain hit. It was like a brand in her shoulder radiating down her arm and she sucked in a shaky breath. She must have made some sort of sound because the taller man released her wrist and then turned to give her an odd look. He didn't have time to say anything, Zeb was dragging both disguised freedom fighters up and into the hold and they had to move back out of the way.

Out of the way seemed like an excellent idea and Leia backed a little further away. It was hard to pay attention with the pain searing into her and throbbing with her heartbeat. She should do something, say something, but she wasn't sure exactly what. She nearly jerked back as she was suddenly staring into her own eyes reflected in the black eyeslit of a painted helmet, then the helmet was being tugged off and she was being looked at with concern.

"You got hit? Come on. The first aid kit's this way. They can handle it here." Sabine touched her gently on her good shoulder, steering her back and away from the others.

Leia nodded dumbly, allowing herself to be led and taking a seat on a crate when Sabine nudged her down.

"Going to cut some of your sleeve away to get to it and get it clean. Looks shallow, shouldn't even scar. This will sting a little." Sabine kept her voice even, talking her way through each motion as she deftly snipped enough of the cloth away to swab the blaster burn clean and then applied the bacta patch. "Just breathe and stay with me, it'll start feeling better real soon."

Leia nodded again, letting out a shaky breath "S-sorry. I'm not… not." She hated the way her voice wavered, trying to steady it. Staying calm in the face of chaos was a powerful tool.

"Not used to being shot? Don't worry. Most people aren't. You're doing fine." Sabine squeezed her good shoulder and then seemed to consider, before pulling Leia into a half hug.

Leia pressed her face hard against the other young woman's shoulder, feeling the shoulder plate against her cheek as she closed her eyes tight against tears that threatened.

Sabine didn't move, still speaking evenly, as if this happened every day. "If you're going to make a habit of going into hot zones you should probably upgrade your wardrobe. Armor plating might be a little obvious, but some of the reinforced meshes are getting better and aren't that much thicker than the cloth you have now. With a clever designer no one would even know, and you'd be more protected."

Eventually the bacta patch finally started doing its job, it had felt like it had taken a short eternity though she knew it had likely been less than a few minutes. She took a steadying breath, starting to pull away. Sabine didn't try to hold on, just gave her a once over.

"Let me put another bandage over that so it's not so obvious, and a cold cloth for your face. And don't worry, even when a hit doesn't get through my armor I'm still jittering afterwards like someone poured a week's worth of stims into my caf." Sabine wound the bandages over the patch, working gently as she sealed them down.

"Thank you." Leia said, glad her voice was steady now. It helped that there was no real pity in the way Sabine was looking at her. It made everything seem strangely normal. It was a comfort, and at the same time a small part of her shuddered at the implication that it was normal. She knew Sabine was barely older than her, how often had she been the one trying to hold things together while someone else patched her up?

"Not a problem." Sabine's smile was warm. "Lets get that cold cloth. You can tell me how these sorts of missions usually go for you."

"There's usually a good bit less shooting." Leia said with a small smile "And far more just attempting to kill me with boredom during bureaucratic proceedings. I am not sure which is worse."

"Even after this? Sabine sounded amused.

"Even so." Leia followed in Sabine's wake. Soon other than the bandage and the tear in her sleeve there would be no sign anything had happened, and she was grateful for that. She'd always had a knack for knowing what people needed to see her as, to know what part to play. Spoiled senator's daughter, obedient and forgettable passenger, politician and commander. And right now the cell needed an ally, not an injured princess.


	2. Chapter 2

Prompt by Kimbachan

"I want to see your take on Sabine nursing a sick Hera… but Hera can't speak due to this illness! No one else is around to decipher her lekku twitches either."

* * *

Hera slowly started to prop herself up on her elbow, reaching for the cup of lukewarm tea on the table beside her bunk. Her hand trembled, and she fought back the waves of dizziness that made the room wobble like the Ghost had made a very unstable water landing and was pitching about in the waves.

Hera had brushed off the initial symptoms as just a cold, general feelings of achiness, low fever, and a persistent sore throat that stubbornly refused to go away when she took various cold remedies and painkillers. Then she had stood up too quickly from her pilot's chair and nearly hit the deck when everything pitched and spun. If it hadn't been for Zeb's quick reflexes she'd probably be suffering bumps and bruises to go along with a nasty case of Caliginis. Even sitting up fully now triggered the vertigo and disorientation, and the virus caused nodules to form on the vocal cords. The sore throat had faded and she could swallow without pain, but until the nodules shrank any attempt to speak was agony and even risked permanent damage.

"Hera, please, just let me." Sabine's voice was a mix of affection and exasperation as she leaned in to grab the cup. "Lay back down."

Hera laid back down grudgingly. She was propped up on pillows as much into a sitting position as she could get without feeling dizzy. Sabine held the cup to her lips and she drank slowly. Left untreated Caliginis could take weeks to recover from, but once they met up with one of the Rebellion's medical ships treatment would only take a couple days. They just had to meet up with them.

Kanan was piloting, no one was sure if Lasat could catch it and Zeb didn't want to risk it, and Ezra had never had it before. Chopper was safe, but his ability and desire to care for organics left a good bit to be desired. Sabine had been vaccinated against it, which only gave about 80% protection, but as she had pointed out they regularly faced worse odds than that.

It wasn't like Hera could argue, a fact that made her lekku twitch in annoyance.

Sabine took the empty cup back, setting it aside. "I know this is hard. I should have studied more non-verbal forms of communication. Of course Twi'leki wasn't even offered…" She shook her head slightly.

Hera couldn't do much more than nod. It was woefully inadequate for what she wanted to say. She wanted to tell her that it wasn't her fault, she didn't expect Sabine to be perfect. Yes it was frustrating not being able to communicate as well as she wanted to, but it wasn't anyone's fault. And maybe when this was over they could work on some hand signals. They had a limited set they used for fieldwork, but it fell short of actual speech.

"If you need something, I have this though." Sabine held up a data pad, offering it to her.

Hera took it, typing carefully. It was hard to type at the unusual angle, but she managd.

Thank you.

Sabine took the pad back, looking over it, a smile tugging at her lips.

"You'd do the same for me, or any of us." Sabine pressed a hand to Hera's cheek to check her fever. Her body temperature always ran hotter than a human's, making it a little tricky, but Sabine's cold hand felt nice and Hera leaned into it a little. As annoying as not being able to speak was, being left alone and helpless would have been far worse.

"It has to be boring laying there, would you like to read anything? I can hold the screen for you. Or I could get one of the entertainment holos."

Hera shook her head slightly, lekku automatically curling the no, and then she held her hand out for the datapad.

Sabine held it for her to type.

Read something for me?

Sabine took the pad back and smiled again, settling back in the chair and getting comfortable. "If that's what you want. Just interrupt me if you need anything."

Sabine pulled up the file, starting to read. Hera recognized the character from a popular mystery series and smiled. She wouldn't have guessed that Sabine was a fan. Either way it was nice to listen to and Hera relaxed back, closing her eyes. They'd meet up with the medical ship soon enough, and until then they'd manage. They always did.


	3. Chapter 3

Prompt by veryfandomishdrawings

" For the prompt thing: Ezra ill. Something moderate, but not life threatening, ofc, just the flu or something like that. Taking care of Him? Hard one, your pick"

* * *

"This is your fault." Ezra grumbled, trying to pull the blankets a little tighter around himself. He ached from the fever, and couldn't quite manage to get to a comfortable temperature. Either he was burning up or freezing, one of the two.

"How's it my fault?" Zeb grumbled, reaching up to adjust the blankets where Ezra had scrunched them tight, and then giving him a pat on the back. Ezra grunted.

"You're the one that suggested someone could sneak into the facility using the sewer system to take out the security system from the inside so everyone else could just stroll in." Ezra said, and then coughed, a harsh barking sound.

"It worked, didn't it?" Zeb said with a grin.

"Oh sure. I just got to spend twenty minutes waist deep in freezing filth, and then no one wanted to give me a blanket or anything because, oh yeah, it's sewage." Ezra shivered again. "Did Hera turn the heat down again?"

"No, you're just burning up." Zeb brushed some of Ezra's hair back and then pressed the nearly furless pad of his finger to his forehead until Ezra weakly swatted at his hand.

"That's your fault." Ezra turned his head to cough roughly.

"I suggested it, but everyone else agreed to it too. Even you." Zeb pointed out.

"Yeah. Well. Shut up." Ezra rasped.

"Good argument." Zeb reached to get a cup of water, passing it up.

Ezra just made a grumpy huff as he took the water, sipping slowly. Everything ached, his muscles, his head, his throat felt like he'd swallowed sand, and the one time he'd tried to eat a little soup it came right back up.

"Doc said your fever shouldn't last too much longer. Just try and get some sleep." Zeb gently ruffled his hair, earning a bleary glare.

"Maybe stop bugging me and I will." Ezra rolled over, curling up facing the back of the bunk.

Zeb snorted lightly, dimming the light for him and then went to step out. Chores didn't stop just because one of the crew was sick.

* * *

Zeb grumbled, trying to ignore the sounds overhead. Normally he could sleep through the kid being kind of noisy, which was good. Ezra snored if he ended up laying on his back, even if he viciously denied it, and being able to sleep through that was handy. Now though, Ezra was obviously miserable, tossing and turning and trying to muffle his harsh coughing.

Finally he couldn't stand it, reaching to turn the lights up a little so he could stand up, leaning against the bunk. "When was the last time you took any cough syrup or something?"

"Not long ago, s'not working." Ezra's voice was rough and he rolled over to blink tiredly at Zeb.

"I'll get you some water. Unless you'd want something hot?" Zeb asked, looking Ezra over. Keeping an eye on him mostly meant just making sure he drank as much fluids as he was able to get into him, and listening to him complain. There was a lot of complaining.

Ezra groaned "Nothing hot, I'm too hot already."

Zeb nodded. "I'll get you some cold water then, just don't get too used to it."

"I won't, hate being sick." Ezra sniffed, then buried his head against the pillow to cough.

Zeb went to grab the water, getting a cold pack while he was at it. He did feel slightly guilty about Ezra's flu, even if he suggested the sewer way he'd have thought if it was too bad Ezra would call it off. And then sure they'd teased him a little after he came out shivering, but Ezra was snarking right back at them about it. He hadn't thought the kid was actually too cold and wet until he got quiet and Kanan noticed how badly he was shaking. Turned out slogging through cold filthy water and getting thoroughly chilled for hours wasn't the best thing for human immune systems.

"Here." He handed the cup over and Ezra took it, sipping on it to try and ease the urge to cough.

"I just want to get some sleep." Ezra handed the empty cup back and squirmed, trying to find a comfortable position, finally settling down, and then getting caught up in another coughing fit.

Zeb frowned at the harsh coughing, but left him alone for the moment to look through the supplies Ezra had been given. He found the half empty bottle of cough syrup, so Ezra had been keeping up with that, and a small jar that looked unopened. He unscrewed it, giving a sniff and then smiling a little.

"Come on, got something that will help with that. Should anyway." Zeb set the jar where he could easily reach it from his bunk, moving closer so he could start scooping Ezra up into his arms.

"What are you doing?" Ezra didn't fight being picked up, but he didn't help either, staying dead weight.

"Trying to get you to relax so you'll sleep, and stop keeping me up." Zeb settled down on his bunk, holding Ezra easily in one arm while he grabbed up the jar. Ezra had already half wiggled out of his jumpsuit to try and cool down so his chest was already bare.

Zeb scooped out some of the goo from the jar, starting to rub it over Ezra's chest.

"Feels weird." Ezra wrinkled his nose.

"Yeah, feels weirder with fur, but it helps." Zeb finished rubbing it in, careful of his claws, then wiping his hand off on the side of the bunk and leaning back, plopping the cold pack down on Ezra's forehead. Held close like that Ezra was propped up a little to help with his breathing. The chest rub was pungent smelling, but nothing Zeb couldn't ignore. It was still a great deal better than listening to Ezra tossing and turning. "Just try to relax. Longest you've gone without coughing for a while, eh?"

"Maybe I was just trying to be polite and not cough all over you?" Ezra said, but he smiled a little. He took a deeper breath, experimentally.

"Mmm, sure you are." Zeb closed his eyes. He could feel Ezra relaxing and as exhausted as he was he'd bet as soon as he stopped being too uncomfortable to sleep he'd be out like a light.

Sure enough it was only a minute or two before Ezra was limp and softly snoring against his shoulder. Zeb turned the lights back off and tugged the blanket back up where he could easily pull it over both of them if Ezra went into another spell of chills.

"If anyone mentions it, I just got tired of listening to you flop around and held you down." Zeb muttered into the dark, smiling when the only answer was Ezra's steady breathing.


	4. Chapter 4

Prompt by literally-the-president

"Would you be interested in writing a fic where Ezra gets hypothermia? If you're down, can Zeb (being furry and warm) cuddle him for warmth? And Kanan being a worried guardian?"

* * *

Ezra huddled back against the frozen up speeder. Things had been going so well, sneak in on his own, steal the information, steal a speeder, and take off to the rendezvous point. He should have known it wouldn't last. A sudden blizzard had kicked up, dropping visibility to nil. He'd done his best, but the cold and the blizzard scrambled his instruments and then the rapidly dropping temps had frozen up his speeder.

There was nothing to do but wait it out. The speeder and the snow starting to mound up against it cut the wind a tiny bit, but not as much as he'd like. The gloves that seemed far too bulky earlier now weren't fully keeping his fingers from slowly chilling. The wind seemed determined to find tiny gaps in his cold weather gear and slip through no matter how he tightened the straps or tried to adjust his hood and face wrap. There wasn't much else to do. He didn't dare try to walk around and warm up through exertion, not and risk losing what little shelter the bike provided.

The only good point was if anyone from the Empire discovered the theft and went out after him they'd have as little luck with the storm and freezing temperatures. He just didn't know if the Phantom would be able to make it through the storm any better.

* * *

It was hard to tell time, the blizzard howled constantly, unendingly , and made it hard to focus. Focus. Kanan would give him that look that always made Ezra think that Kanan hadn't quite figured out how to get his face into stern disapproval and had to settle for miffed. Focus, meditate. Maybe he could feel him? He tried to reach out time and again. He couldn't tell if the worry he felt was his own or if he really was making contact with Kanan, it kept slipping away overpowered by the wind and the snow. He was getting steadily colder, shivering now. He just had to wait for the storm to pass, then he could make it to the rendezvous point and the Phantom would come.

In some ways it reminded him of Lothal, when the windstorms would come up and howl around his tower and anything slightly loose would creak and rattle, the whole structure vibrating with it sometimes until he thought the howling was inside his head. When he would lay awake under his blankets, the wind stealing the heat from the room faster than the old tower's heating system could replace, and tried not to picture something giving way and the whole tower crashing down. It was uncomfortably chilly then, but nothing like this cold that would burn his skin if it was exposed for longer than a moment or two. Each breath felt like a little more of his body heat filtered out through his facewrap and escaped out into the cruel winds of the storm. Breathe out warm, breathe in cold even though the cloth, squint through the goggles unsure if snow was caking them again or if there was just nothing to see. It was too much effort now to uncurl from where he had tucked his gloved hands up inside his sleeves and against his body and try to rub at them to find out.

The storm couldn't last that much longer. Ezra didn't know how late it was but he was so tired, tired of being cold and tired from the aftermath of the adrenaline dump of a successful mission, and very tired of this storm. He closed his eyes, there wasn't really any change between them open and closed, and waited.

* * *

Zeb clenched his hands hard down on the edge of his seat as the Phantom bucked, dropping suddenly and then jerking. "Kanan…"

"Hold tight." Kanan gritted his teeth, struggling with the controls. The winds were brutal, and he just hoped they slowed some closer to the surface. The snow and ice didn't help, threatening to cake over and weigh down the ship and making it respond more sluggishly when he needed control more than ever.

Zeb grunted, and then reached out with his foot to help brace the bundle of supplies. Kanan had insisted on grabbing them before they headed to the pickup, and Zeb hadn't seen any reason to argue. At worst the cold weather survival gear would take up some space in the Phantom during both trips, but if things went wrong they'd be glad they had it. The Phantom wasn't the best shelter if they went down, equipment would freeze up in the cold and it had little insulation. The compact shelter they had would go up quickly and keep in the heat well even in open winds. If they heaped and packed snow around it then it would easily stay toasty inside.

They'd arrived in orbit on time, to discover the rendezvous point and hundreds of miles around it was engulfed in a blizzard. They'd waited. Kanan had been tense, pacing and checking over the supplies, checking the Phantom's systems needlessly, but he'd said Ezra was fine. He'd been fine, up until the point Kanan changed his mind and insisted they were going down. Into the storm.

There was a final sickening lurch and this time it ended in a softer thud than Zeb might have expected as the Phantom hit the snow. He unstrapped himself.

"So what's the plan?" Zeb started unstrapping the supplies.

Kanan came back quickly from the cockpit, shrugging on his thick coat. "We go out and find him, he's close by. Then we get the shelter up, I don't think we're getting the Phantom back up in this storm."

"I was afraid you were going to say that." Zeb grumbled it, but he couldn't really put any heart into complaining as he strapped on the glovelike boots to protect his feet and yanked on his own coat and goggles. His fur gave him more protection from the cold than human skin, but it could only do so much.

Both bundled up and with powerful glowrods in hand, Kanan opened up the ramp into the storm. It stuck partway, until Zeb jumped on it and forced it down. Another reason the shelter would be important, easier than trying to get the ramp back up and close up the Phantom. Kanan grabbed onto his jacket and he nodded to him, striding out to start breaking the path through the snow. He couldn't see much of anything, and with the wind howling it was easier to let Kanan guide them both. More than once Kanan firmly patted one shoulder, to get him to correct his course. He really hoped Kanan knew what he was doing.

Just when Zeb was about to say something, his foot collided with something hard half buried in the snow. He cursed, jerking his foot back and crouching down to point the glowrod over it.

"Some speeder bike." Zeb had to raise his voice to yell over the wind, but Kanan had already let go of him to start wading through the knee deep snow around the bike, searching.

"I found him! Ezra!" Kanan leaned in, reaching down to paw at the snow. Zeb made his way around the bike to help him.

Ezra was curled up tight into a ball tucked into the slight shelter of the bike. At least Zeb was going to trust Kanan that it was Ezra, and not some other poor soul out in the storm. Like this they couldn't exactly tug off any of his gear to see his face. Kanan was shaking him, trying to get him to respond, but he didn't stir.

"We need to get him back to shelter." Zeb yelled over the wind, and saw Kanan nod in the light from the glowrods. He nudged Kanan partially out of the way, crouching down to lift Ezra with a soft grunt. "I've got him."

Zeb could see Kanan nod and then he was grabbing back onto his jacket. "Hurry."

"Don't have to tell me twice." Zeb muttered, too quiet to hear over the wind, far too aware of how limp Ezra was in his arms. He couldn't run, but he could follow their path back through the snow faster since he wasn't shoving through it, moving as a brisk walk that had Kanan struggling to keep up. Once or twice Kanan stumbled, but never let go of his grip on Zeb. In this storm if they separated there was no guarantee they'd make it back together, even if Kanan did have an advantage in being able to sense them.

Zeb was never so happy to stumble up the ramp of the Phantom. It was freezing cold still, but it cut the wind.

Kanan pushed past him to the shelter supplies, dragging them back down the ramp to start assembling it just outside the ship.

Zeb took one of the blankets, unfolding it partially and keeping it close, tugging off his gloves so he could hold Ezra against him in one arm, starting to pull his gear off. He tugged the goggles and hood, patting at Ezra's face. It was slack and far too pale, but after a moment he got a small twitch. It was a barely there scrunching and then Ezra's face was slack again, but he could feel Ezra's breath moving against his fingers when he held them close. There was hope.

Heartened by the small response he kept going, brushing snow off the outer clothes and stripping him down. He wrapped him up in the blanket, tucking it tight around to keep in what little heat he still had until the shelter was finished. He looked over in time to see Kanan raise a hand, nearby snow shifting and pouring up and over the shelter, burying the bulk of it.

Zeb stood up, shaking the last of the snow off his own clothes before grabbing up the heater in his free hand, bracing himself and making his way down the ramp past Kanan and into the shelter. "Get the sleeping bags."

The shelter was cramped, would be more cramped when Kanan joined them, but better cramped than freezing. He turned the heater on and carefully laid Ezra down next to it before starting to strip off his own clothing.

Kanan opened the shelter door briefly, carrying the rest of their supplies in, including the sleeping bags.

Zeb shoved his clothes out of the way, reaching for a large sleeping bag. "Body heat's going to be the best thing for him right now."

"Right, warm him up too fast and it could be too big a shock on his heart." Kanan reached to rest his hand on Ezra's hair. "The data disks were in an inside pocket of his jacket, they're safe."

"Good. I'll feel better about that when the kid's not half frozen." Zeb squirmed into the sleeping bag, trying not to hit the sides of the shelter too much or bump into anything else, finally getting down inside the sleeping bag and then propping himself up to reach for Ezra.

Kanan leaned in to help. It took both of them to get Ezra out of the blanket and into the sleeping bag, tucked close up against Zeb.

"Now we wait." Kanan held his hands to the heater, staying close. It wasn't instant, but the heater was quickly chasing away the cold in the shelter and bringing the temperature up to something far more comfortable.

Laying inside the thick sleeping bag Zeb would have been toasty except for the very cold lump pressed limply to his chest and belly. He glanced down, trying to ease Ezra's head into a more natural looking position. "How long?"

"As long as it takes." Kanan said with a hint of irritation in his voice. Zeb just rolled his eyes, draping his arm back carefully over Ezra. Like this Ezra seemed far too small. Awake he was all tight packed muscle and attitude and presence that was determined not to be overlooked. Even asleep he sprawled out, sometimes snored, took up space.

Zeb was grateful when Ezra stirred again. It wasn't much, just a furrowing of his eyebrows, and then he started shivering.

Kanan leaned over to touch over the top of Ezra's head again, about the only part of him visible.

"That's a good sign, yeah? That's he's shivering." Zeb said. Any signs of life seemed better than the cold stillness.

"It should be. Of course we won't know how much damage the cold did until we get him back to the fleet and he can get a proper evaluation." Kanan still sounded too tense. "I've dealt with a lot of injuries over the years, but not cold exposure."

"We keep him warm, worst that should happen is he loses some fingers or toes." Zeb said, trying to sound cheerful. It was a little strained, but laying in the shelter tying themselves up in knots wasn't going to help anything.

Kanan gave him a look and then stroked through Ezra's hair again. "Ezra."

Zeb could feel the shift in the words. It had taken him years to realize most species couldn't pick it up the way Lasat could. When a priestess was working you could tell, like feeling the air pressure changes before a storm hit. Nothing you could really put into words or describe, like a taste or a sound, but just a feeling.

"Ezra, come on, wake up for me." Kanan spoke again, with that same sort of changing-pressure feeling and Ezra twitched more than just a shiver, eyes half opening and unfocused.

"Wh… what?" Ezra's teeth chattered as soon as he opened his mouth, the word slurred.

"Good, now stay with me." Kanan gave a tight smile at that, not taking his hand away.

Ezra made a sound that might have been a word, or just a wordless protest as his general situation and jerked a little, trying to press closer to Zeb's chest without much coordination. It was a start though.

"You were doing your best to turn into a frozen nerf steak, kid." Zeb resisted the urge to try and rub at Ezra's back, bring some heat to the icy skin through friction. It was better to let him warm up like he was, even if it was frustratingly slow.

"Huh?" Ezra spoke through chattering teeth.

"Don't worry about it." Kanan shot Zeb a dirty look. "How are you feeling?"

"C-cold." Ezra answered after several long seconds. "The d…d…" He struggled on the word.

"The what?" Zeb rumbled quietly.

"D-disks?" Ezra managed. "I m-made it?"

"We got them, don't worry." Kanan spoke reassuringly, petting through Ezra's hair like he was trying to soothe an unhappy tooka. "You're safe."

* * *

Zeb drowsed off now and again. There wasn't a great deal to do besides keep an eye on Ezra and listen to the muffled howling of the wind over the snow covered shelter. Ezra dozed too, off and on, exhausted from his ordeal to the point not even his steady shivering could keep him awake. Each time he woke up though he was a little more coherent, more alert. Kanan usually tried to get water into him then, warmed next to the heater. Ezra protested weakly at the taste of warm water from the containers, but he drank it. The ration bars they had proved a little too much though and when he tried he couldn't manage the hard sticky texture of them. He'd nearly choked, coughing and barely getting the one bite swallowed and Kanan gave up until Ezra was stronger.

Finally Zeb ears twitched and he roused, unsure what woke him up. After the constant noise it took him a minute to realize it was the absence of it. The blizzard must have ended, or at least moved on. Ezra slept against him. He was finally not shivering, but there was color back in his cheeks and he didn't look nearly so drawn.

Zeb reached out to shake Kanan's shoulder lightly. Kanan had tucked into his own sleeping bag and slept, even if he woke every time Ezra did.

"Hmm?" Kanan came awake quickly at the touch, and then noticed the change before Zeb could speak. "The storm's stopped."

"Yeah. Think we can get out of here?" Zeb spoke, and the low rumble of his voice made Ezra start to stir.

"I hope so. With it clear the Empire might send out searchers to find their thief." Kanan crawled out of his bag. He'd stayed mostly dressed, just needed to start putting on his coat and cold weather gear on top.

"I can help." Ezra spoke sleepily, earning him a warning growl from Zeb.

"You can stay put and stay warm." He started easing out of the sleeping bag.

"Fine. Wait. Are you naked? Have you been naked this whole time?" Ezra sounded slightly dismayed.

"You're saying it wrong. You're supposed to say 'thank you, oh most generous and selfless Zeb, for being willing to strip down to save my life.'" Zeb grumbled, amused as he grabbed his clothes and started tugging them back on.

"How about 'where's my clothes so I'm not naked too?'" Ezra frowned at him, and Zeb chuckled, reaching out to muss his hair.

"Back in the Phantom somewhere, unless they blew away in the storm." Zeb grinned.

"Blew away?" Ezra sounded dismayed.

"I wasn't exactly looking where I was dropping them. Could be anywhere now." Zeb finished getting the gear on, walking on all fours to the door of the shelter. The fewer times they opened and closed the door to let the heat out the better, and it was too low for him to even attempt standing upright.

"Zeb!" Ezra glared, but just gathered the opening of the sleeping bag more tightly closed to keep the heat in.

"We'll get your clothes back." Kanan reassured Ezra, though he just looked amused at the whole exchange.

Zeb chuckled and went through the door and out into the clear, bright outside. After the dim glow of the heater it was almost too bright, and he flipped down the goggles as they darkened to protect his eyes. They had a ship to free from the snow and ice, and then they could all go home.


	5. Chapter 5

veryfandomishdrawings - "Ooh! Prompts. Uh.. Maybe Ketsu, (like, during rebels canon) idk. Gets hurt and doesn't wanna admit it and Sabine takes care of her? Platonic or not I love the idea"

Author Note: This has some femslash in it! Sabine/Ketsu. Please don't read further if you dislike femslash. Feel free to just skip this one.

* * *

It may have been far too long since Sabine spent any significant amount of time around Ketsu, but some things she didn't forget. She had forgiven Ketsu, but there was still a certain amount of tension between them, leaving them both unsure of their standing. They weren't quite friends anymore, not exactly. Friends implied a certain level of easy interaction they were missing now, but there was still far more of a connection and past than just allies and former partners.

The way Ketsu held herself at the briefing, the tension and tightness around her eyes, the way her lips thinned when she wasn't talking, they were all signs Sabine would have had to be blind to miss. When the briefing ended she made a quick excuse to Hera that she'd meet back up with them later, and followed Ketsu.

For half a moment she worried she might have lost her, and then she rounded a corner and there she was, waiting.

"I had a feeling you might be following me, Senaar'ika. What is it?" Ketsu's usually relaxed stance was just the slightest bit tight, favoring one side. If she thought the old nickname would throw Sabine off, she was wrong.

"You're hurt. Have you been to medical?" Sabine didn't want to mince words.

"I'm fine, it's nothing." Ketsu waved a hand dismissively.

"You didn't answer my question." Sabine put her hands on her hips.

"It's not worth going to medical about," Ketsu frowned. "What's it to you, anyway?"

"Whatever it is, will you at least show me? You were always the worst about underestimating your own injuries." Sabine dropped her voice "And I don't like seeing you hurt, not now, not ever."

Ketsu visibly hesitated and then nodded "Fine, if I eases your mind I'll show you."

Sabine let out the breath she didn't know she was holding "Your room then?"

* * *

Ketsu didn't waste much time once the both of them were in her room, stiffly starting to take off her armor to get to the bodysuit under it. "I was getting some information when someone didn't exactly appreciate me snooping around. He got me with a table, I got him with a blaster bolt between the primary eyes."

"Always making friends and influencing people." Sabine quipped, watching as the fabric was pulled away and then sucking in a breath, hissing it out in quiet sympathy. Ketsu's umber skin made the bruising less stark, but no less ugly as it mottled across her side.

"Some of us don't have Jedi and purple walking mountains as backup." Ketsu brushed fingertips along the edge of the bruising. "Looks nasty, hurts worse, but there's no serious damage. Does that ease your mind, Senaar'ika?"

"It's a start." Sabine did find it easier to stop worrying with visible evidence of why Ketsu was moving so stiffly. She held her hand out, gloved fingertips hovering less than an inch from some of the nastiest bruising. "Did you check for cracked ribs?"

"There might be one, but if there is it's just cracked, not broken. I'd rather take the week or so of it hurting than deal with the nausea I get from boneheal." Ketsu shrugged, mostly with the shoulder farthest from her bruised side.

"I understand. Are you taking any painkillers for it at least?" Sabine asked.

"A few, the good ones make me sleepy and stupid though. I'd rather be hurting and sharp for meetings like that." Ketsu started to tug the bodysuit back on and a bit of color caught Sabine's eye.

"Is that a new tattoo?" Sabine asked, grateful for a topic that wasn't asking prying questions.

"Probably. The one on my shoulder?" Ketsu turned, to show off the firebird rising from purple and orange flames.

"You chose my design?" Sabine couldn't stop herself from reaching out then to trace the bright swatches of color inked into dark skin.

"It seemed fitting. A new start and all." Ketsu finished tugging the bodysuit up, but not quickly enough to hide the goosebumps that rose up at the light touch.

"To new starts then." And Sabine was close enough she could lean in and kiss Ketsu if she wanted to. The question was did she want to? Because it wouldn't just be a kiss, it would be opening up to all the old emotions of their past and refusing to define anything because they might not have tomorrow.

Before she could fully make up her mind, Ketsu leaned in and kissed her instead.

It was light and gentle and lingering and Ketsu slowly pulled away after several long moments with a crooked smile. "I've wanted to do that for a while now, but it doesn't need to mean anything more than that."

"What if I want it to?" Sabine challenged and then sighed, shaking her head slightly. "Now's probably a terrible time to try and work anything out. I don't know. I don't know if I want it to mean anything."

"Then we'll find a better time." Ketsu made it sound like a promise, and Sabine smiled.

"Right now how about… you tell me the full story behind getting the information and cracked ribs, and we can go from there?" Sabine tried not to sound too hopeful.

"It started when I got a tip from one of my informants. You'd like them, I think. Never met a color they disliked and if part of their clothing looks boring it's probably just dyed something obnoxious in a spectrum humans can't see." Ketsu started, sitting gingerly on her bunk.

After a moment Sabine joined her. Maybe things couldn't go back to the easy friendship they had before, but new beginnings were about hope and with time and hard work maybe things could be better than before. It was worth sticking around for.


	6. Chapter 6

For sick fic prompt: Stay With Me - (ZEB) rarely asks for help, but they're feeling miserable enough to ask (KANAN) to keep them company a while.  
And  
"Milking it" bc that screams Zeb. He doesn't get pampered at all being a big Lasat so ofc when he gets sick he's gonna make the crew–or at least Ezra and Sabine– wait on him hand and foot. And he's gonna make Chopper be nice to him. Please?

* * *

Zeb took the first opportunity he could to head back to his room, sinking into his bunk with an unhappy groan.

The minor illness had swept through all of the Ghost crew except Chopper, resulting in stuffy noses and minor coughs and a whole chorus of complaints. Zeb had hoped it wouldn't be able to jump to Lasat, but he hadn't been so lucky. He had been entirely unprepared for how hard it was hitting him though. Ezra had whined about his runny nose, but Zeb was fairly sure if he'd felt like he'd been trampled by a herd of banthas he'd have mentioned it.

Zeb pressed a hand to his head, hoping that would ease the persistent ache behind his eyes. He felt horrible, his throat felt like he'd been trying to swallow shrapnel, and if it wasn't for how lousy he felt he was fairly sure he could sleep for a week.

He was contemplating if he had the energy to get up and get something to drink to hopefully soothe his throat when he heard the door open.

"Ezra, could you…" His voice sounded rougher than usual even to his own ears and he trailed off, glaring weakly at the door. "You're not Ezra."

"Not since the last time I checked." Kanan's sounded amused, though it was hard to tell anymore. Humans weren't the most expressive of species and with a mask over the upper part of his face it didn't make things any easier to read. "He's getting ready for the mission, and you should be doing the same."

"Mission?" Zeb rubbed the side of his head. "The supply ship interception? I thought we were skipping this one and hitting the next ship since no one's at top form."

"Change of plans. One of the other cells ran into trouble and they need those supplies sooner rather than later. Everyone can take a decongestant and deal with it." Kanan shrugged slightly.

Zeb heaved a sigh and then stifled a cough when his chest tightened at the deep breath, starting to haul himself to his feet. He almost made it and then everything spun and he sat back down heavily.

"I'm going to have to pass on this one." Zeb admitted reluctantly.

"Not a chance, suck it up." Kanan didn't sound sympathetic and Zeb bristled a little.

"Think I like having to say I'm not up for a milk run? I…" Zeb trailed off as his chest spasmed and he covered his mouth and coughed harshly, each rough breath bursting out of him and making his throat sting so badly he was surprised there weren't any flecks of blood on his hand.

"Zeb?" Kanan sounded surprised at that, picking his way over to the bunk. He moved well throughout the ship as long as the floor was kept clear and nothing unexpected tripped him up.

"Karabast." Zeb finally managed when he got his breathing under control, hunched over and miserable. He felt Kanan touching over the side of his head, pressing fingers to the furless inside of his ear to get a better temperature feel than he could manage though thick fur.

"No one else had a fever with this." Kanan sounded concerned and Zeb twitched away from the touch.

"Lucky me, eh?" Zeb's voice rasped, and he kept his breathing shallow to avoid another coughing fit.

"I'll go let the others know, we'll shuffle things a little. Don't worry about it." Kanan dropped his hand to Zeb's shoulder, squeezing it before turning to start towards the door.

"Could you… send someone in with something to drink? Throat's killing me." Zeb hated asking for help, but he wasn't ready to make an attempt to stand again.

"You got it, big guy." Kanan said easily enough and Zeb sighed, easing himself down onto the bulk to stretch out and try to find a comfortable position.

* * *

"Didn't know if you wanted something hot or cold." Kanan's voice broke through Zeb's dozing and he blinked his eyes open, focusing on the cups set down by his bunk.

"I'll see what hurts less." Zeb started hauling himself up enough to get the first cup, taking a slow sip. "Thanks."

Kanan nodded "The others already headed out. Hera's on the coms, need anything else before I go?"

Zeb shook his head slightly, before catching himself. "Nah." He took another sip, the heat easing some of the rough feeling in his throat.

"Alright." Kanan started to turn to head back out.

"Wait." Zeb hesitated, ears dropped down with embarrassment. "Stay with me? 'least until I pass out." He knew no one would be too far away, but he still didn't like being alone like this. Kanan had been a soldier, he wasn't likely to think of this as weak.

Kanan turned back, stepping closer so he could sit down on the bunk with him, reaching to ruffle the fur on his upper arm. "I can stay."

"Thanks." Zeb slowly finished off the drink before sagging back against the bunk. Everything still hurt and he wanted to cough and ease the tight feeling in his throat and he wasn't looking forward to his next trek to the 'fresher, but knowing someone else was standing guard meant he could relax enough to really sleep.

* * *

"Need anything else?" Sabine made sure the pillow was properly fluffed and held in place against the back of the chair as Zeb settled back into it with a pitiful cough.

"It's good, it's perfect, just…" Zeb trailed off and both Ezra and Sabine leaned in to listen. "I think I could manage something to eat."

"Of course. I'll go see what we have." Ezra volunteered, not even waiting for a reply before he was heading off towards the galley.

It had been a tense situation. A minor cold for the rest of the crew had resulted in a major immune overreaction for the Lasat. By the time Sabine and Ezra returned from the mission he was in bad shape with a spiking fever and lungs thick with fluid that made every breath a struggle. Zeb didn't remember much of the race to find the closest medical ship or facility able to handle their emergency, and he was just as glad for it. Now though, Sabine and Ezra felt guilty that they'd gone off on the mission not knowing how sick Zeb was getting and Zeb was finally back on the Ghost and ready to benefit from their concern.

"It's good to see you back on the ship." Sabine grabbed the blanket nearby, tucking it over his lap. "How's that? Warm enough?"

Before Zeb could answer Chopper interrupted with a long series of rude sounds, reaching out to prod at one blanket covered leg.

"Chop, no! Zeb's sick and he doesn't need any of your lip right now." Sabine got between the droid and his target, making a shooing motion.

"Yeah, buzz off." Ezra backed her up, carefully carrying a tray with a pitcher and one of the oversized mugs Zeb preferred.

Outnumbered Chopper beeped in exasperation, turning to scoot away in a decidedly put out fashion. Zeb bit back a chuckle.

"Here, I know when I'm not feeling well it's easier to manage a mug than a bowl and spoon, less likely to spill too." Ezra carefully settled the tray across the arms of the chair, making sure it wasn't going to tip.

"Thanks, both of you."Zeb sniffled, reaching to wrap one hand around the warm mug of soup and hold it close. It felt good to be appreciated.

* * *

"Having fun?" Hera asked, eyebrow and one long lekku quirked. She'd found him tucked in with his blanket, and tissues, three different varieties of tea Sabine felt might help, and the holonet on for him to watch. For the moment though Ezra and Sabine had left him in peace to relax and rest.

"Fun's a strong word." Zeb hedged.

"I saw your medical report you know. Once the immune overreaction was under control you were discharged as fit for duty." Hera pointed out.

"True, but they want to help out. Know it's never easy being on the waiting side of the med bay. They can fuss a little bit, I get better, they feel accomplished. It's perfect." Zeb grinned a little, sniffing. He was still a little sick, but it was the sort of symptoms everyone else was dealing with before. If he wanted to he could push through without anyone else even knowing, but why should he?

"And you're just letting them fuss over you out of the goodness of your heart?" Hera smiled.

"So maybe it's a little fun," Zeb admitted. "I'll make sure they know I'm feeling better soon." He just figured it could probably wait until after breakfast in bed. And maybe he could get a footrub out of Ezra. And then maybe… one more day of being treated like royalty wouldn't hurt.

"Ten credits says you're not a good enough actor to get someone to give you a sponge bath." Hera chuckled to herself, starting back out.

"You're on." Zeb grinned.


End file.
